Allenwood wins National Quality Award

Allenwood at Pillsbury Senior Communities has been recognized as a 2013 recipient of the Bronze ‘Commitment to Quality award for its dedication to improving the lives of residents through improved quality care. The award is one of three distinctions possible through the National Quality Award program, presented by the American Healthcare Association and the National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL). The program honors facilities across the nation that have demonstrated their commitment to improving quality care for seniors and individuals with disabilities.
‘In an age of changing health care, Allenwood has remained committed to prioritizing quality care above all else,’said Mark Parkinson, President and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. ‘This facility is an example of the great things that can be accomplished when we commit to person-centered care.’
Implemented by AHCA/NCAL in 1996, the National Quality Award Program is centered on the core values and criteria of the Baldrige Performance Excellence Program. The program assists providers of long-term and post-acute care services in achieving their performance excellence goals.
This program has three levels: Bronze, Silver, and Gold. Facilities begin the quality improvement process at the bronze level, where they develop an organizational profile with essential performance elements such as vision and mission statements and an assessment of customers expectations. Bronze applicants must demonstrate their ability to implement a performance improvement system. A team of trained Examiners reviews each Bronze application to determine if the facility has met the demands of the criteria. As a recipient of the Bronze ‘Commitment to Quality award, Allenwood may now move forward in developing approaches and achieving performance levels that meet the criteria for the Silver ‘Achievement in Quality award.
‘This award is not simply a plaque that facilities hang on the wall and forget,’said Ed McMahon, Chair, AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Board of Overseers. ‘Facilities such as Allenwood receive this award because they’re committed to the constant journey of improving quality care.’
‘This award confirms our commitment to providing quality care to our seniors. It also makes clear that we are on a quality improvement track leading into the future,’said Liza Rixon, LPN, Allenwood’s Nurse Manager. Allenwood is one of only two Residential Care facilities in Vermont to have this designation.
‘The process of applying for the Bronze award increased our awareness as an organization of providing quality care and to our Mission Statement of ‘To make a difference in the changing lives of Seniors by providing a safe and home-like community with a compassionate and caring staff’, ‘said Deborah Lemery, RN, Pillsbury Senior Communities Administrator. ‘The initial experience with the Quality process has encouraged us to move forward with our application for the Silver award. We are thrilled to receive this award’.